


Scout's Struggles 2

by denixvames



Series: Scout's Struggles [2]
Category: Team Fortress 2
Genre: Action & Romance, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-19
Updated: 2020-09-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:42:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 14,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26549941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/denixvames/pseuds/denixvames
Summary: After the surviving team members scattered, Sniper seeks out to bring back the new group together. It all starts off with Scout who he finds out has done some unspeakable things along with the predictable crimes that Medic has committed. Once things cool down, all hell ironically breaks loose. Leading the Scout, Sniper, and Medic to deal with Gray Mann's diabolical plans until the rest of the team members come to their aid. Fighting against an old man's crazy dreams and his classic pets. And perhaps even an old enemy.
Relationships: Heavy/Medic (Team Fortress 2), Miss Pauling/Scout (Team Fortress 2), Scout/Sniper (Team Fortress 2)
Series: Scout's Struggles [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1930477
Comments: 4
Kudos: 8





	1. Painting The Town Purple

Jeremy picked up his cap. Placing it on his head. He cracked his knuckles. He chuckled. "You know the pay was good."

The Administrator was tied to her chair from her arms to her legs. Her mouth had been bound. She struggled to get out of the ropes. She tried to scream but it only came out muffled. "But your bitchy cold heart is starting to get on my fucking nerves." He pulled out a butterfly knife. With a sick smile, he brought the knife down into her stomach. He laughed as he continued to stab her. Over and over.

The knife moved to her chest. Piercing through her flesh. Into her lungs. Slowly suffocating her as blood ran from her wounds. His smile never faded as she drifted into a deep sleep. One that she would never wake from. Some of the blood had partially stained his face. He wiped it off with his hand. It only spread further. He was shaking. His heart was racing. A sugar rush of some kind ran through his veins.

He left the body as it were. He hopped into the stolen vehicle. A flash of bloody walls and his friends decapitated heads went into his mind. He held no fear anymore from the now constant hallucinations. Instead, he giggled. He drove off to his next target.

"You never told me mom and I'm not mad. What I want you to know is that dad's dead." "What?!" "There was a monster. We fought it off but he didn't make it." He could hear her sobbing over the phone. "I'm sorry mom." "Jeremy. Come home right now." "I can't do that yet. I still have some unfinished business to take care of." "Young man! You better-!" He hung up on her. Placing the speaker of the phone back in its hook. He headed to where the bartender stood along with a few other customers. His half empty bottle of beer sat there. Waiting for him.

"So here you are. The Infamous Purple Scout." He turned around. He glared at the old man in a grey suit who sat at a table alone with a glass of white wine by his side. "It's Jeremy! And who the hell are you?" "My name is Gray Mann but you can call me Mr. Mann." "Mann? As in Blu and Red Mann? Let me guess. A long lost brother." "How did you know?" "Trust me buddy. I've had a so called missing relative in my family. I can tell that you're just like your brothers." Gray chuckled. "I'm nothing like them. I know how to make a deal. They don't. Speaking of which, I've got one for you. Care to join me while we talk business?" "As if I would listen to a Mann. You can go to hell." "Tempting but not yet. There's still one more thing that I have to do." "And what's that?" "Sit and you'll know."

Scout hesitated. Yet, he sat next to him. Gray poured him a glass of white wine. Scout picked up the glass. "You knew damn well that I was going to be here." "It's easy to find someone when they stick out like a sore thumb." He dunked the glass in one swift motion. Swallowing without stopping to breathe. He set the glass down. "So, whaddya got for me?" "Money. Lots of it." "I could give less of a shit about your fucking money." "Then how about what's in Red's base?"

He raised a brow. "What is in Red's base?" "A way for your friends to come back." "Bullshit." "My brothers have a data system that holds their mercenaries DNA should anything happen to them. They clone them." "Haven't they already done that by now?" "Not while they know the killer, Purple Scout, is still on the loose. After the mess you made of their mercenaries bases? They've got their tail between their legs." "They think I killed my own friends? Who the fuck said that?" Gray smiled. He clasped his hands together. His elbows leaned against the table. "When a man sees destruction and only one survivor, he'll assume anything." "There were still survivors. They just left me. I don't know where they are." Scout slammed his fist against the table. Knocking the glasses over. Spilling its contents.

"Is this conversation going anywhere?" Gray opened his briefcase. He placed a file in front of him. "I want you to break into Red's base first then Blu's. You will kill everyone. Including my brothers. And then you will call me when you are done. When that is complete, your friends can come back under my orders. I'm one of the few that knows how to work that machine. So, do we have a deal?" Every part of his being wanted to punch this old man to the ground. But he knew he wouldn't have known about this bit of information had he not showed up. Maybe he really was telling the truth. Either way, he promised himself that he would keep his guard up. "Fine. It's a deal." He shook his hand.

Gray smiled. "Excellent. Then let's discuss my plan."

Scout drove to the motel. He went into his room where he threw the key at the small table. Feeling a bit buzzed, he walked into the bathroom to freshen up. His reflection told him the same old story. How his parents had lied to him since he was born, how he thought he needed to become a mercenary in order to support his mother, how he thought his father had been dead this whole entire time, how he had mourned him with regrets of not knowing him, and how he had ignorantly looked him in the eye without ever knowing. He wondered what thoughts swam through his father's head when he looked at what his son became.

"What would you say now, dad? To the new me?" He laughed. "Would you run away or shoot first? I want to know what you think of me! I wish to see your face when I'm breaking every fucking bone in your goddamn body!" He punched the mirror. Leaving a large crack.

"You're pathetic." He turned around. Red Scout was standing there. "You killed the Administrator just because she was making you fight each other and didn't care if any of you died? That's your job! You dumbass! Also really? Revenge killing? What are you? Five?" Jeremy growled. "Shut up!" He punched but Red Scout disappeared. "Oh, what's the matter? Did I hurt your feelings? Boo freaking hoo!" He swung to his right. Once again, he missed. Red Scout appeared to his left. "You're a real piece of work. You know that?" Jeremy grit his teeth. His fists were shaking. "What do you want?!" "What I want is for you to stop acting like this! You're not Pyro! And you're sure as hell not Medic! You're Scout!"

Jeremy shook his head. "No! That's not who I am anymore!" He gripped his face. "Get out of my head!" "Listen to yourself! Do you know how crazy you sound?" "I said get out!" "Is this what Miss Pauling would want?" "Stop it!" "Is this what Sniper would want?" "GET OUT!"

There was a knock at the front door.

He looked to his left at the knocking. When he looked back, Red Scout was gone. The knocking continued as he headed to the front door. "Yeah yeah! I'm coming! Just stop knocking already!" He opened it. His eyes widen. "Sniper? How did you-?" "Find you? It was easy. You left a bloody trail." "I don't need your help if that's what you're asking." "All I'm going to ask is can I come in?" Jeremy hesitated. "Five minutes. That's all you've got." "That's all I need." Sniper walked in. He found the room to be a mess. The covers were in a disarray. The pillows were scattered except for one. There were empty crushed soda cans everywhere. The TV was the only thing clean.

"We need to talk."


	2. The Motel Incident

"About what? I'm all ears." "About you. I'm worried." "That's a first." Sniper grit his teeth. "No, it's not! Why can't you understand that?" He pinched the brim of his nose. "You're a bloody idiot." He shook his head. "This is Medic's fault. We have to find him." "What? I'm not going anywhere! I have to bring our friends back." "Is that what this is really about?"

Scout giggled. Sniper slapped him. Giving him the surprise of a lifetime. He grabbed a fistful of his shirt. He pulled out a needle. "This isn't what you need." He dropped the needle and smashed it with his shoe. He pulled him in for a kiss. At first, Scout wondered but then the memories they had together started to make sense now. He couldn't help but want more. He was lonely. Oh so lonely. He needed someone. He needed him.

Their kisses became more intense. Passionate. Scout found himself on the bed. His arms were around his neck. Sniper unbuckled his belt. Scout knocked his hat and shades off. He threw his own cap too. He moaned at Sniper's touch. How his hands were gentle but quick to tug at his shorts. How those kisses told him a story. A story that he knew so well.

Sniper pulled his own pants down. Just low enough so that he was exposed. He brushed his lips against his neck. Scout's tears fell. He squeezed a handful of his jacket. Holding on as he felt him go inside. He flinched. His mind wandered to many memories. How he met the team, how Soldier made him answer questions so he knew he wasn't a terrorist, how he got his addiction to soda, how the team made jokes about him, how he played it off like it was ok, how Sniper saved him from Blu Heavy, and how the people that he cared about died. All except for a few. He was grateful that Sniper was still alive.

He didn't know what he would do without him. Even when there were arguments, he still cared about his friends. He worried whenever Spy, his father, was gone because he didn't know if he would ever come back. He wondered if one day Medic would finally lose it. He looked at Heavy sometimes and asked himself if that fearless man was hiding something. He found Demoman to be a walking intoxciating miracle. He thought of Engineer as a trustful man. And Pyro was....something.

But Sniper was different from the others. He could tell whenever he was upset. He knew just what to say whenever he was feeling down. He knew what to do when he needed help. Not to mention, he saved his ass from The Hat Man. Probably more than a few times. Still, that was one of the reasons why he liked him.

"Ah!" Scout bit his lip. He could feel the warmth of his embrace. Shivers ran throughout his body. "S-Sniper...!" He shut his eyes. He had never felt this before. This loving feeling. It's true that Miss Pauling had shown him love but this was unlike anything else she could have ever given him. It was ok for Scout to be in this position. Everything about this moment now felt right to him.

He let Sniper's tongue explore his mouth. Sniper's movements became faster. Scout moaned between kissing. He gasped. His head leaned back. "Not so-! Ah!" Sniper kissed his ear. Whispering, he said, "I'll never stop loving you." Scout's eyes widen. He could feel it all come inside him. A loud moan escaped his lips. Cum shot out from his dick. Staining his shirt.

Both men caught their breaths. Sniper pulled out of him. He collapsed next to him. Scout licked his lips. He ran a hand through his hair. "So when were you going to tell me that you love me?" "What gave that away?" ,said a Sniper sarcastically. "Oh you know. The part where you were fucking my brains out." Sniper chuckled. "Sounds about right." "Aw man! You got cum all over my shirt!" "Good because I brought something." He looked at himself then Scout. "Maybe we should clean ourselves up first." "After you."

Sniper glanced at the bathroom. He kept his pants up while walking over there. Scout did the same but walked slower. Sniper switched the faucet on to a hot temperature. He began to take his clothes off. Scout looked at him then the tub. "Are we really going to take a bath together?" "Scout, we just had sex." "Yeah, I know. I got that. It's just..." He scratched the back of his neck. "Me and Miss Paulie are still, sorta, kind of, in a relationship." "Wait! What?!" Sniper turned the faucet off. He tied a towel around his waist. "Why didn't you tell me? I was...I said all that stuff to you! It was personal! I really meant every word!" Scout frowned. "I know and I'm sorry. Things have just been-" "You kissed me!" "First of all, you kissed me! Second, I was in a bad place. I was literally freaking insane! When you came along with your smooches, I needed to feel better about everything. And obviously, having sex with you worked."

Sniper glared. "Uh...Wait a minute. That didn't come out right." He shoved Scout out of the bathroom. Slamming the door shut. Scout pounded the door with his fists. "Sniper! You don't understand!" "I think everything's clear enough!" He punched the door. "I don't even know if we're together!" Sniper bit his lip. He continued to listen. "After everything that happened, I don't even know if we still love each other. A lot of things happened after the team disbanded. Or what was left of it. Me and Miss Paulie got into some disagreements. And after what I did to her boss, she's going to hate me. She'll probably kill me to be honest. So I want you to know, that's why I did it with you. I was confused and scared. Not scared of you but scared that me and her weren't a thing anymore. I just needed someone that I could rely on. Someone who could give me that same loving feeling that she use to give to me."

Scout leaned against the door. "I should have never used you like that. I was selfish. I never thought about how you felt. I'm sorry-" "Mundy." "Huh?" "My last name is Mundy." "Uh wow! Sniper. You really just....tell me that? Isn't that some personal info we shouldn't be telling each other." "If we were still mercenaries then yeah but we're not on some bloody mission or running for our lives. We finally get to be ourselves instead of hiding it all like we did so many times before." He took a deep breath. "Then there's something I have to tell you...Mundy." "What is it?" "My name is....Jeremy." "Scout, you told us that already." "Oh yeah. I forgot about that."

Sniper opened the door. Scout fell in. "...Ow."


	3. Medic's Loss

Both a clean Sniper and Scout sat next to each other at the foot of a bed. Scout was shirtless. "Hey mate. I'm sorry about confusing ya." "No, it's my fault." He sighed. "I never told you to stop." "And we just did it again in the bathtub." "And now I want to kiss you again. What the fuck is wrong with me? Jesus Christ! I don't even think I should get back with Miss Paulie. I don't want to break her heart. I don't even know how I feel about you. Everything's a big freaking roller coaster."

Tears brimmed from his eyes. "I fucked up." He swallowed a lump in his throat. "I really fucked up." Sniper frowned. He wanted to comfort him but he knew that getting close to him would make things worse. It would only remind Scout of the love he once had with her. Maybe it would have been something different. Something new that Scout never had until now.

There was a tapping against the door. They looked at each other. Sniper nodded. He pulled out a machete. Slowly, he made his way to the door. Scout stood with a knife in his hand. Standing right behind him. Sniper held out three fingers. He lowered one as he mouthed out the word, "One..." The tapping continued. "Two..." Scout squeezed his grip on the knife. "Three!" Sniper swung the door open. He raised the machete.

A dove was flying in place. It flew inside. Landing on a bed. "It's Medic's bird." ,said Scout. Sniper lowered his weapon. "Archimedes? But what's he doing here? And where's Medic?" Archimedes flew out of the room. "He's leading us somewhere. "Quick Scout! Put this on!" He tossed a red shirt at him. Scout caught it. He smiled. "Thanks Snipes." "Anytime mate."

They ran after Archimedes. Following him to a cemetery. They got to an open grave filled with scattered body parts. Medic's hands were covered in blood as were his clothes. A shovel laid nearby along with a pile of dirt. Medic maniacally laughed. He was twitching. He clutched his head. "It's going to be complete!" "Not yet. We have to get the other parts." ,said himself again but in a calm tone. "That's not fair! We should already be prepared! Done!" "First we must kill the whole town. Take everything they have." He continued to laugh. "Yes! Kill! Kill them all!"

"Medic!" He turned to them. "Scout and Sniper! It's good to see you both." He pulled Scout in by his ankle. Scout screamed. Medic slammed him against the wall of dirt. "Stop it, Medic! You're more insane than you normally are!" ,said Sniper. Medic smirked. "You're funny, you know that? You're really funny." Sniper took a step back. "What the hell?" "Medic! Listen to me, ok? It's us. Scout and Sniper. We came here because Archimedes was worried. You remember him, right? He's your pet bird." "Pet bird?" Archimedes flew over. Landing on Medic's right arm. He cooed. Medic lost his grip on Scout who rubbed his own neck as he caught his breath. Medic stared at the dove. "Archimedes?" Archimedes flew to his shoulder. He rubbed his head against his. Medic smiled. "Archimedes! I missed you for so long! I didn't know if you were ever coming back." He looked around. "Where's Heavy?"

Sniper pushed his hat slightly down. "Medic, we should get out of here." He pulled Scout up then him out of the grave. "What happened to him?" ,asked Medic. "Snipes, maybe we should-" ,said Scout. Sniper headed to the entrance. "Let's go." "Where is he? Where's Heavy?!" He grit his teeth. He poked at his chest. "How can you not remember? You were there too! We all were!" Medic took a step back. "Wha...?" Scout placed his hand on his shoulder. "That's enough! Leave him alone. He's been through a lot." Sniper pulled himself out of his grip. "This bloody psycho can hold his own! He's a manic! After all, why should what happen to Heavy affect his fucking life?" "My insanity doesn't stop me from watching my team members back! You're wrong about me!" "Says the doc who abandoned us after what happened!" Scout grabbed his arm. "Snipes-" "Stay out of this!" Sniper shoved him off. Scout fell back. Hitting his head on the ground. The wind had gotten knocked out of him. Medic and Sniper froze.

Scout rubbed his teary eyes. His elbows were covered with dirt and some of his skin had been scrapped off from the fall. Showing a bit of blood. His hat was upside down on the ground. Sniper reached out. "Scout I-" Scout shuffled back. He hugged himself. His head hung low. "I know none of you ever liked me. I don't like myself either. But you don't have to hit me to prove that point. I get the picture." Medic stepped forward. "We don't hate you." He knelt. Scout lifted his head up. "We make jokes about everyone when they're not listening or when they are. And sometimes, we laugh even if those jokes hurt us. Because all we had to keep us going when we were part of someone else's war was dark humour." "All of you guys were right though. I am expendable. I could never do anything to benefit the team. I couldn't even stop my crazy ass self from killing that bitch or my dad. And now the team's gone."

"That's not true." Sniper held out his hand. "You still have us." He helped Scout up. "Ja! And when we find the others, we will be a team like before!" He sighed. "Medic, there's something we have to-" A continuous clapping could be heard nearby. Just behind a tree, Gray stepped out of the shadows. "What a nice motivating chat but I think we've had enough of that." They glared at him. "You! You're the one whose been messing with Scout! I won't have him do your dirty work for you!" Sniper pulled out his machete. Medic stood near him too with his hacksaw. "Scout! Stay behind us!"

"Guys!" They turned to find Scout being held up high by one robotic hand of a robot Heavy. He struggled to get out its hold. Sniper shouted, "Let him go! Now!" "I won't until he kills my brothers. But I can always find a replacement for him if you keep pestering me about it. All I would have to do is just kill him." Gray snapped his fingers. Robot Heavy slowly began to squeeze. Scout cried out. "Stop! He'll do it! I promise!" Gray snapped his fingers again. Robot Heavy eased his grip. Scout caught his breath. Medic stared at Robot Heavy. "Heavy. Where's Heavy? Sniper, you were going to tell me!" Sniper hesitated. "I'm sorry Medic but he's dead. The Hat Man killed him." Medic's shock seemed like it could never leave him. "No..." "So my invention did work. It's good to know it had some nice punching bags." ,said Gray. Medic gripped his hacksaw tighter. Glaring at him. "You're the reason why he's dead! And now I remember, you're the reason why all of them are dead!" He ran at him with a frustrated scream. Keeping his hacksaw raised.

Bang! He collapsed. "Medic!" Sniper ran over. The bullet had hit through his chest. Medic clutched his wound. A Robot Sniper came into view. Several other robots that looked like themselves and their old teammates had stepped forward. Each of them held a replica of a signature weapon that resembled their own weapons. Gray walked over. "Oh right. I'm going to have to take you both in. I wouldn't want my plans to get ruined. Would I?" A Robot Scout hit Sniper's head with the butt of his shotgun. The world became dark.


	4. No Escape

"Sniper! Sniper!" He opened his eyes. The smell of gunpowder filled the air. He coughed. He found that it was becoming hard to breathe. He was back in Red base. He walked past the bodies of his friends. Scout and the other survivors were standing right behind him. "Help!" He turned to the bodies of Medic and Scout. There was total darkness. Their bodies had disappeared. Sniper looked around. "Scout! Medic!" He ran. It didn't matter where he was going. He just wanted to get out of this place. He wanted to find his friends.

"Sniper!" His eyes shot opened. Scout was chained by his wrists and ankles. Hanging there midair. He was covered in sweat. Exhausted from the pain he had endured for hours. His mouth was dry. His body was shaking. He was having trouble breathing. It felt like his chest was burning. A Robot Soldier stood near with a long thin taser. Medic was tied to a chair. His wrists were bound by ropes from behind himself. His wound was still bleeding. His face was pale. He had a hard time fighting against sleep but did his best to stay awake. Sniper tried to move but he found himself stuck in the same position that Medic was in. They were in a small room with grey walls and one door. There was a camera in the upper right corner of the room. "Hey!" Sniper looked at the camera. "Medic's bleeding! Please untie me! I have to help him!" It seemed like an eternity that he thought he would get a reply until the door opened.

A Robot Spy threw a medical kit at his feet and a knife. "Free yourself and attend to the Medic. Do not free the Medic. Any attempt to escape will result in death. I will tie you to your chair once you are done." Sniper nodded. He stood. He got to his knees and picked up the knife. He cut himself free after a bit of time. Quickly, he came to Medic's aid. "It's going to be alright! I've got you. I'm going to make sure you're ok." Medic held a small smile. "Sniper...I never thought I would see this day come when you finally practice medicine." "Save your breath for later. You'll need your energy." He cut his shirt open with a pair of scissors. He wiped off the blood around the wound. "I'm going to have to pull the bullet out. This is going to hurt mate." Medic chuckled. His breathing was becoming wheezy. "You don't think I've never performed surgery on myself? This is not the first time. What you'll do is but a tickle to what I've done to myself."

Sniper smirked. "Good to know your craziness hasn't left us." He stuck the forceps in. Medic flinched. A scalpel fell from inside his sleeve into his hand. Sniper immediately pulled the bullet out. Medic bit his lip. He cut through the ropes with ease. Sniper dabbed some hydrogen peroxide on the wound. He soon patched it up after some sowing. "There. That should do it." "Sniper, we're still friends?" "Of course." "Then don't hate me for this." "Wha-?" Medic kicked him down. He threw the scalpel at Robot Spy. It pierced through its head. He stomped on the red button near Scout's feet. The chains released their hold on him. Medic caught him then pushed him into Sniper's arms. Robot Soldier raised his taser at Medic who grabbed it. Both were fighting for control. "Get out of here!" "What? We're not leaving you!" "Damn it, Sniper! There's no time! Go!" Sniper hesitated. He ran out of the room with Scout in his grip.

Medic kicked Robot Soldier back. He jabbed its taser on it. Robot Soldier short circuited. Collapsing into heaps of pieces. He ran out once he heard the alarm. The robots fast footsteps were getting close. Sniper stopped dead at his tracks. They were surrounded by a horde of robots from all sides. The exit was inches from them. "Hey!" The robots switched their attention to Medic. "Gray Mann is going to die if you don't stop me!" He ran down the hall. The robots chased after him. Scout tried to run after him but Sniper pulled him back. "C'mon!" He punched the grey button. The shutter door opened. They ran out.

The robots chased Medic into a room filled with bombs. He slid to the floor. Leaning against the wall. "Did you really think you could escape that easily?" Gray walked in between his robots. He smiled. "I must admit you did amuse me but the fun part is over now." He kicked his wound. "AAH!" Medic clutched his chest. "Time to die." A few tears left Medic as he thought of the funny antics he and Heavy use to get into. He recalled meeting him, his first surgery with him, the first time they fought together, and their last moments together. He laughed. Gray glared. "What's so funny?" "This is." He raised a hand which held the ring of a grenade.

Sniper and Scout watched the building explode. Most of it came on fire. Some of the structure was still standing while the rest crumbled. Sniper fell to his knees. He punched the ground. Scout laid a hand on his shoulder. They looked at each other. A strong wave of grief weighed on their backs. Their hearts were broken. Their hope was gone. Medic was dead. Actually dead. There was no way they could bring him back. Things were different now. Unfairly different.

Some of the rumble moved. They were shocked to find Blu Heavy carrying a bloody unmoving Medic out of the destruction. Scout ran over. Blu Heavy gave a slight nod. Scout waved Sniper over who caught up to them. The three of them waited for any sign that he was still alive. Some time passed and his chest didn't move. Blu Heavy frowned. They looked at each other. Sniper held Scout in his arms. Comforting him. Blu Heavy recalled seeing his own Medic's corpse. He only wished his medic was strong like Red's. He imagined that Blu Medic would have still been alive. He didn't want this. Watching another medic die. Especially when he looked just like his own medic. His own friend.

Blu Engineer, Blu Spy, Demoman, Pyro, and Miss Pauling stepped out of hiding from the trees. All of them walked over. Surrounding Medic like the others were. Their mournful expressions left only tears and sorrow. Blu Heavy screamed to the Heavens. Making the ground shake.

Medic's hand twitched.


	5. Team Fortress Classic

"Look!" ,said Miss Pauling who pointed at Medic's hand. Everyone silently waited. Medic groaned. He slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was Blu Heavy. Then his tears. And then his smile. Medic knew that this wasn't his Heavy but he also had a strong feeling that Heavy would want him to move on.

Medic smiled. Tears welled up in his eyes. He laughed. He laughed despite the seamlessly neverending tears. He laughed because he knew that there would never be hope. And he accepted that fact. But he also knew that he had friends who would always be by his side even through death. He wrapped his arms around Heavy's neck as Heavy had a hand on his back. "It's good to see you friend." He looked at the others. "It's good to see all of you!"

His feet planted on the ground. He clutched his chest but was able to stand straight. They ran to him with their arms opened wide. He was ambushed by their many hugs which formed into one big group hug. "Welcome back doc." ,said Scout. Medic chuckled. "Oh you guys! You're so emotional." "Says the so called bag of crazy with a huge heart." ,said Miss Pauling. Medic looked around. He frowned. "Soldier...." "We're sorry, Medic. We wish he could still be here with us." ,said Blu Engineer. Scout walked off. He clutched his own shoulders as he was shaking. "And I pulled the trigger! I caused so much bullshit! I'm so sorry! I'm so fucking sorry!" Miss Pauling reached out to him. "Scout, it's alright. You didn't know what you were doing." Scout whipped his head around. "And I betrayed you, Miss Paulie! I should have never done it!" "What? What are you talking about?"

Sniper stepped forward. "Miss Pauling. When things seemed like they were getting worse than before, we were under a lot of stress. Especially Scout. Feeling hopeless brought us together. Physically." "Oh." Her eyes widened. "Oh!" She took Scout's hands in hers. "Scout, it's ok. I know you didn't mean to. You were in an awful place in your head. Unfortunately, I wasn't there to help. But I'm here now and I want you to know that whoever you choose....whatever you decide....I'll stand by your decision." Scout sniffled. "Really?" She nodded with a smile. "Of course."

Scout walked up to him. "Snipes, I'm grateful that you were there for me. I won't ever forget what we did together. But I need you to know that I was still thinking about her. All we ever did was physical. None of it ever felt like it came from a personal connection. I'm sorry Sniper but I still love her." Sniper held a small smile. He pat his shoulder. "That's alright, Scout. I'm not mad. I just want you to be happy. That's all I ever wanted." Scout threw himself in his arms. "I'm glad." Sniper returned the hug before he watched that young energetic man run off with Miss Pauling to a tree with dandelions around its roots. Demoman walked to Sniper. He took a couple of sips from his bottle of whiskey. "Aye lad. Are you sure you don't want to tell him how you really feel? He's still going to be here with us." "His heart chose her. I want him to be happy. Even if that means not being with him."

Bang! Bang! Sniper's eyes widened. His ears deafened. The whole world was becoming a blur. Demoman dropped his bottle of whiskey. The contents spilled on the ground. The glass broke into pieces. He caught him. Scout whipped his head to their direction. Finding Sniper to be filled with two holes from bullets by, ironically, a sniper rifle. "SNIPER!" He ran over to him. "Sniper! Stay with me!" Sniper's eyes were closed. He appeared to be still. There was no twitch. No sign that he was still there. Scout gently shook him. He got no response. "No...This can't be happening." Laughter came from the bushes. "Looks like we got a couple of crappers here!"

A whole team stepped in. They were dressed in blue combat uniforms. A man that was larger and taller than the others stood in front of them with a cold blooded smile. He wore goggles and a blue bandana over his head. "Name's Chevy and this is my crew. By the way, you're coming with us." His members pointed their weapons at them. Everyone started to realize who they were pretty quickly. These were the first of the modern teams. An Engineer, Scout, Spy, Pyro, Sniper, Soldier, Heavy, and....Where was their Medic? Had he retired? For Blu Spy, that didn't make any sense. He was sure that their Medic was dead. But why? He decided he wouldn't ask. Some secrets are best left alone. "Blu guys, capture the Reds and that little lady." "No!" ,shouted Blu Engineer. Chevy growled out, "What the hell did you just say to me?" Blu Engineer grit his teeth. He clenched his fists. Raising them in case he had to fight. "We don't belong to anyone anymore! We're our own team! Team Fortress 2.0!"

"Boys! Take all of them to our base. Don't let anyone escape." ,said Chevy. Scout cracked his knuckles. "You killed Sniper!" Chevy chuckled. "What's it to ya kid?" He walked up to him. Staring at his death glare like it was nothing. "Was he your sugar daddy or something?" "He was my friend! Something that you'll never have!" "Does it look like I need friends? I'm not a weak puppy like you." He poked at his chest. Scout grabbed his wrist. He chucked him a couple of feet away. Chevy hit a boulder. "What the hell?!" Scout walked over. "If you don't have any friends then I guess no one will miss you once I've killed you!"

Virgil, their cowboy-looking Sniper, pulled the trigger. "Ow!" Scout pulled a dart off of his neck. He turned to him. "You...bitch..." He collapsed. "Scout!" ,said Miss Pauling. "Get them!" The classics forced everyone to follow. Keeping their guns raised at them. "Here!" Chevy threw Scout in their Pyro's arms. Their Pyro, Beatrice, was a round woman with third degree burns on the side of her head. She smirked. "I've got plenty of toys to use on you, little fella." She slung him over her shoulder. Scout's hat fell off. Chevy stepped over it. Not caring to pick it up. "This is going to be a lot of fun." Soon, they all left.

A hand picked up Scout's hat. That hand belonged to SAXTON HALE! "Why do you think they kidnapped your mercenaries?" ,said his ex girlfriend, Maggie. "I don't know, Mags. But as of right now, I'm taking my property back!"


	6. Seeing Double

All of Team Fortress 2.0 were tied to chairs except for Medic and Sniper. Heavy had chains over his wrists which were attached to an old fridge because of his giant body. They were all in Blu's building. Spy guessed that they had taken it over.

Every other classic mercenary had left their boss to take care of some unfinished business that they were ordered to clean up. "So Frankenstein, you're the only Medic left standing." Chevy pulled him by his arm. Raising it up. "How about you come work for us? We need a Medic. And I've got a good guess that you don't want to die." Medic struggled to get out of his grip. "Let me go!" Chevy growled. He slammed him against the wall. Medic flinched. His heart raced. "I don't think you're getting what I'm offering you." Archimedes flew to his shoulder. "Let me make it simple." Chevy grabbed the dove and threw him to the floor. "Archimedes!" Medic reached out to him. "Please! Let me help him!" "You still haven't answered my question yet."

"Get off Medic!" ,shouted Heavy. Chevy cupped Medic's chin. He nodded at Heavy. "Is that your boyfriend?" Medic grabbed his arm. "No! Just stop it! Archimedes needs me!" He was pinned against the floor. "You know what? I've had enough of your whining!" Chevy was sitting over his chest. He had a hand wrapped around his throat. He pulled out a knife. "I'm going to cut your fingers off! Maybe your hands instead! Ah fuck it! I'll cut your dick off first!" Medic pounded his fists against his chest. His boots hit the floor as he tried to move. Tears brimmed in his eyes. Fear coated his voice. "Stop it! Please!" Chevy pressed the knife over his crotch. Medic froze. Afraid to get himself hurt by his own movements. Chevy laughed. "You're too easy. What a fucking coward you are. It's almost pathetic."

Medic's tears ran down his cheeks. He sniffled. "Please don't kill me!" Chevy slightly squeezed his neck. "Maybe I won't. Maybe I'll make you endure a whole lot of pain." He grabbed his arm and brought it above his head. Medic flinched. Pain shot out from his arm. He could feel it getting almost closer to becoming broken. "You're hurting me! Just stop! I promise I'll be your Medic! Just stop it already!" Chevy let his arm go. "There's the answer that I want to hear." Medic glanced up. The reflection of his glasses showed Chevy who was behind him. Heavy brought the fridge down. Knocking him out. He dropped the fridge. The chains that had bound his wrists had been ripped off by his own strength. Him and Medic looked at each other. Frozen in awe of the other person's existence. And so much more.

Heavy held out his hand. Medic reached out. He watch that big strong hand grasp his. Immediately, he was pulled up. He was back on his feet. "Is Medic alright?" He nodded. "...J-Ja. Danke, Heavy." Heavy smiled. "No worries." "Uh guys? I hate to interrupt but a little help here? My head is killing me from whatever the hell drug that Sniper gave me." ,said Scout. Once everyone was untied, they headed in the same direction that the classics had gone to. Medic was the only one who claimed to stay so he could find Sniper's body. Before he left, he fell to his knees. He held the dead dove in his hands. "Archimedes. I'm sorry that I didn't have my equipment. Now, it's been too long. It's too late." He gently placed the bird back on the floor. He stood. "I couldn't even save Sniper. I'm useless to my friends. To this team." Heavy wrapped his arms around him from behind. Surprising Medic. "You are good credit to team." Medic placed his hands over his arms. He felt safe in his hold. Knowing that he would be protected by him. Always.

The rest of the team were running. Heading to a lab. "Sniper!" Scout spotted his body on a metal table. "Stop right there!" Classic Scout, Greg, jumped down from the ceiling lights. He looked like a pilot with a fancy mustache. And wore goggles too. He had a one piece blue suit. As if he was ready to scuba dive. He held a crowbar. "I'm not letting anyone ruin my opportunity on getting rich or bagging chicks." Scout rolled his eyes as he crossed his arms. "Geez! You sound like a douchebag." He grabbed a bat from the out-of-place desk. "You and me buddy! Let's go!" Greg smirked. "That sounds like fun. Get ready to get your ass kicked." Scout glanced at his team. "Go find the others! Get out of here!" "But-" "C'mon Miss Pauling. It's now or never." ,said Spy who had his hand on her arm. She hesitated but nodded. They ran down another hall.

Medic and Heavy showed up to the fight. Medic had Archimedes in his hands. "Perfect! Sniper is here too. I can perform both surgeries." He headed to the metal table. "Doctor! Wait!" Greg brought the crowbar down. Aiming for Medic's head. Scout swung his bat. Hitting Greg in the face. Knocking some of his teeth out as he sent him flying across the room. "Don't forget about me dumbass!" "Good reflexes, Scout. Make sure he does not bother me when I'm working. Heavy, you can follow our team." "Are you sure?" "I'll be ok. I've got Scout here to keep me safe. I'll see you when this is all over." He smiled. "Ok. Good luck." ,said Heavy. He followed the rest of the team. Medic placed Archimedes next to Sniper's head. He adjusted his gloves. "This may just be my greatest procedure yet."

Spy stabbed Classic Spy in the eye. Classic Spy collapsed. "What an idiot. Did he really think I wouldn't notice his attempt to sneak on us?" A spray of bullets hit the floor near their feet. "That Spy was a lousy fighter. On the other hand, I've got my own gun to prove a point." ,said Classic Demoman. Demoman burped. He stepped forward. "I'll be the judge of that." "Are you stupid or something? He's got a gun and we don't!" ,said Engineer. The ceiling broke through. Pieces of it fell to the floor. SAXTON HALE and Maggie landed on Classic Demoman whose head had been smashed in. His brain matter and blood had spread out. "....Damn." ,said Heavy.

"No need to fear! Saxton Hale is here!" "Why didn't we just walk through the door?" "Because we're adventurers! We don't need doors!" He held out a black cap. "Now, where's that kid? He lost his hat."

Scout was breathing heavily. Laying on the floor, he struggled to get up. Blood dripped from his nose and mouth. He had a black eye. His bat was several inches from him. He reached out. Greg stepped over his hand. "Ah!" ,said Scout. He gripped his leg. Trying to push him off. Greg kicked his face. Scout shouted, "Fuck!" He lost his grip. Greg chuckled. "This is what passes off as a scout? You'll never be like me. You're pathetic!" Scout clenched his fist. He let out a battle cry. He bit a chunk off of his leg. Greg cried out. He dropped his crowbar. He fell back. Bleeding out from his wound. He crawled away. Leaving a trail of blood. "Help! Someone help me!" Scout stomped on his back. He smiled. "No one's here to help you now." He picked up the crowbar and stabbed it through his head. Giving it a good twist.

He pulled the crowbar out. Some brain matter was stuck to it. His hands were shaking. A low laugh snuck by his lips. Soon, it became louder and louder until it was nothing but a cackle.


	7. Scout's Awakening

Chevy fired. The bullet hit Scout's side. Scout smiled at him. Chevy was taken aback by his strangely calm demeanor. "What the hell is wrong with you?!" Scout shrugged. "Care to analyze me? I'll get closer." He zoomed to his face. Chevy fired. Scout dodged. He spun around. Landing a kick on his head. He was surprised to find his kick to be worthless. Chevy grabbed his leg and threw him to Medic. "Hey doc! Duck!" Medic did. Scout caught himself on the top of a cabinet. He cracked his neck. "This is going to be so much fun." With the crowbar in his hand, he ran up to Chevy who jumped back. Another shot fired. Another bullet missed.

Scout whacked his stomach. Chevy grunted. "Stay still you little shit!" He turned around. Scout bounced off his head. He jumped back. Quickly, Chevy fired. Scout clutched his bleeding shoulder. Chevy smirked. He fired a few more bullets in his chest before it emptied out. Scout fell against the wall. Sliding down to the floor. Those crazy thoughts in his head left him. And what remained was a hallucination of Sniper smiling at him. He smiled back. "Sniper! You're alive!"

"You're insane!" "Wrong. I'm insane." Medic swung the hacksaw at Chevy's face. Cutting deep into the side of his head. "Son of a bitch!" He clutched his cheek. He looked at his bloody hand. "You fucking freak!" He pulled him by his lab coat. His head hit his. Medic dropped his hacksaw. Losing his balance. Chevy wrapped his hand around his throat. Raising him high off his feet. "I've had enough of you and your weaklings!" He slammed him against the wall. Medic raised his hands. "No! Wait! You need me!" "Not anymore." Heavy grabbed the knife out of his head. He stabbed his neck. A gush of blood burst out. Raining over his clothes. Chevy choked on his own blood. He let go of Medic. He clutched his neck and took a step back. Collapsing, he stared up at Heavy who burned through his eyes with a pissed off look. "You are coward!" Heavy punched him before he died.

Medic massaged his own neck as he stood. "Are you ok?" "Ja but I thought you were with the others." Heavy awkwardly scratched his head. "I went back. Too worried about doctor." Medic smiled. "Thank you, Heavy." Archimedes landed on his shoulder. "Bird is alive. Good job!" Sniper gasped awake. "And so is Sniper?" "He's part of our team. He means a lot to Scout. I couldn't let him die." He looked around. "Scout!" He got off the table. He stumbled forward before finding his footing. He clutched his stitched up chest as he made his way over to him. The hallucination faded. Revealing a naked blood stained Sniper. "Sniper? You look different. And why am I so tired?" He held a small smile. "I just got a visit from the doctor. And you're...you're going to be ok." Scout beamed a smile. "That's great. Then we can both get out of here. Maybe we can hang out." Sniper brought him against his chest. Holding him in his arms. "Scout, your father never got the chance to tell you how proud he is of you. I know he never told you the truth and I'm sorry for that. But he would have told you the story about how he stumbled into your mum's life twenty eight years ago. How he had to run away from that family life because what he was doing would only put her in danger. Jeremy, he loved you no matter how much you hated him."

Scout chuckled. "Maybe you're right." He looked up. "It's so beautiful. That bright light." Sniper leaned his head against his. "I love you." He kissed him. Scout caressed his cheek as the kiss continued a bit longer. Sniper felt his body grow heavy. He held onto Scout's hand. Their lips parted. Scout's lifeless body was all that remained in his embrace. He frowned.

"Goodbye, Scout."

Pyro threw a molotov at Beatrice. Burning her head as she ran around. Screaming and panicking. Engineer whacked her with his wrench. Sending her to the floor. "Alright Pyro. We need you to stay here in case anyone who doesn't work with us shows up. Don't kill them until they try to kill you, ok? Just try to communicate with them." ,said Miss Pauling. Pyro nodded. "By the way, whatever happened to your friend? The other Pyro." He spoke. "You...killed him? For trying to put out a fire huh?" He spoke again with a voice that sounded like he was smiling. "Well, good for you. I guess. Just try not to kill you the next person you see, ok?" He gave a thumbs up. She left the room where Demoman's crushed body was still there.

A clipboard hit her face while she was running down the hall. "Ow! What the hell?" "I couldn't resist. I've never thrown a clipboard before." ,said Virgil. He leaned his rifle against the wall. He pulled out a machete from behind his back. "You know it's never a good idea to use a rifle up close. I've got a better idea. Something that I stole from your worthless sniper." She grabbed a half empty bottle of beer from a shelf. She hit it against that same piece of furniture. Breaking into a weapon ready for battle. Bang! Blood dripped from the bullet hole on his forehead. He collapsed. Classic Engineer, Fred Conagher, put the rifle down. "I don't like it when a man tries to fight a lady." "Mr. Conagher?" "Please ma'am. Call me Fred." Their Classic Engineer was a bit round and had a lower robotic half of his body. "Fred. We have a lot to talk about."


	8. Rise Of A Prophecy

It was at Blu's office that it smelled like bleach. It was clear that they had killed the guy. Having disposed of the body and cleaned up the blood off the floor and other parts of the room. Demoman, Spy, and Engineer looked around. "Someone's still here." ,said Spy. "To give you three an ass kicking!" Classic Soldier, Ross, fired his rocket launcher at them. "Everyone! Run!" ,shouted Demoman. They threw themselves out of the way. The explosion took down parts of the ceiling and some of the wall. Blocking the entrance with no other exit in sight. Spy pulled out his butterfly knife. "We have to disarm him!"

"Freedom!" Demoman ran toward him. Spy hit his watch. Invisible, he went around him. Engineer hopped over the table. Standing behind him. "Ah shit!" ,said Ross. They tackled him. Demoman stood with the rocket launcher high up. "Woo!" Spy had him pinned on the floor with Engineer holding his arms. "You wanna know something funny? That fucker Blu never even had a so called cloning machine. It was complete bullshit to get him to look threatening and cool in front of his brother Red. I bet your ass Red doesn't even have it either." "In that case, your life is useless now." Spy stabbed his chest and sliced upwards till he reached his face. Creating a line between his body. Ross died instantly. "Well ain't that the most brutal way you've killed a no-good merc." "Thank you, Engineer. Now let's find a way out of here so we can get back to the team. Whatever's left of them." "Hey! What's this?" Demoman picked up a file from the desk. Spy walked over. "Let me take a look at that." He opened the file and read through. His eyes widened. His lit cigarette fell off his lips. "This is...interesting."

SAXTON HALE and Maggie ran over to the surgery room. "We've got the little boy's hat! We heard he was here!" He notice the scene. "Is this a bad time?" "The poor child's dead, Sax." "Oh! That's a bummer." He handed Sniper his hat. "Here you go. I thought I came here to fight but all I got to do was step on one person. The others got taken care of pretty quickly. You're teammates aren't that bad." "I think we should leave them alone so they can mourn." "Actually, I could just bring him back." ,said Medic. Sniper whipped his head at him. Anger seethed from his teeth. "You meaning to tell me that you could have done that from the beginning? And you just let me suffer while you watched?!" He grabbed him by his neck. Chevy replaced him in a split second. Medic let out a bloodcurdling scream. Sniper let go. "Geez Medic! I didn't mean to-" Medic breathed heavily. He clutched his head. He fell to his knees into a sobbing mess. SAXTON HALE lifted Scout off the floor. "What are you doing?" ,asked Sniper.

"Helping our friend." Heavy helped Medic up. "Time for medicine." Medic rubbed his tears off. He smiled. "Danke." He walked over to the table. "I'm going to need some chemicals."

Spy and Engineer used both of their hands to spin the vault open. Once the door revealed its room, they were met by fresh but familiar faces. "Oh! Should we kill them?" They gave Demoman a look. "What?"

"So he really is gone?" "I'm sorry, Fred. We never intended for that monster to break into the tower." ,said Miss Pauling. "It was probably bound to happen eventually. What with this work he did was always nothing but danger. I am gonna miss him." "Technically, he's still alive. Blu Engineer survived the incident. Not to mention he has all of your son's memories." "You wouldn't understand until you have a kid of your own. Your own flesh and blood is nothing like anyone else. He may look like my son but he ain't him." "Hey Miss Pauling! You'll never believe what we've found!" ,said Engineer. She said, "Holy shit!" "Dad?" "Son? And sons?"

Medic poured some chemicals into a beaker. Heavy held the medigun at Scout. Keeping him stable. All of the bullets had been taken out already. "Be ready to follow my command." Medic inserted a needle into Greg's arm. Taking some of his blood. He placed it in the mixture of chemicals. Once everything was together, he stuck the filled needle in Scout's arm. "Now! Flip the switch!" Heavy did. The red stream spread further throughout his body. Making him glow red.

It was a bright place filled with clouds and a blue sky. It took Scout a moment to realize that he was in Heaven after seeing God. "Hey buddy! There's a friend that I'd like you to meet!" Spy walked over. "Dad?" He nervously cleared his throat. "I never thought you would say that." He blushed. "It feels....good." "So that's how you really look like huh? You know, you almost kind of look like me. I guess it all makes more sense now. But why keep it a secret? What were you running from?" He frowned. "That's one thing that I can't tell you. If you knew who they were then they would be after you too. They don't know where I or you are. As long as our locations are kept secret then you'll be safe. I know I can't for ask anything after what I've put you through. But promise me that you won't try to find them." Scout nodded. "If it means protecting my friends then I promise." Spy smiled. "Thank you." "Oh! Can I at least know your real name?" "Well since you're dead, I guess it wouldn't hurt." He adjusted his halo. "My name is-"

A red glowing light beamed from Scout's heart. "Whoa! What's going on?" God whispered to Spy. "Scout!" Spy ran over. He hugged him tight. "You have a prophecy for some reason. You're supposed to protect people. Help everyone. I don't understand either but it's real. All of it." Scout placed his arms over his back. "I'm so lost. I don't know who I am anymore. Who I'm supposed to be....And now I love two people. What do I do?" Spy stepped away from him. "You already know those answers. All you need to do is wake up." "December 4, 1985. That's when we'll see you again." ,said God. Scout smiled. "Next time we see each other, let's play some foosball." God nodded. Scout waved goodbye as he disappeared.

"You've got a good kid." Spy smiled. "Indeed I do."


	9. Wild Duo

Scout opened his eyes. "Holy shit! He's alive!" ,said Sniper. "See? It was too easy." ,said Medic. Scout sat up. He looked at his shirt. "Why is my shirt blue?" "A mere malfunction in the mixture. However, it's nothing to worry about. Our colors don't matter anymore." "Uh guys!" They turned to Miss Pauling's direction. Two teams that looked identical to Red and Blu teams, which had been disbanded, were dressed in yellow and green similar clothing.

"We found them in a vault. Apparently, Blu and Red had planned on replacing us and changing their last names. They thought we had become weak. They planned to kill us but not with The Hat Man. Just a regular nuke." ,said Spy. Scout jumped off the table. "Those bastards never gave a shit about us!" "No offense but what did you expect? I never thought of The Administrator as my own mother." ,said Miss Pauling. SAXTON HALE studied the teams in deep thought. "I've got an idea! Mind if I take them as my employees? I've got no miners since the cave-in and a whole lot of Australium." "That actually doesn't sound like a bad idea." ,said Engineer. "Miners? We're not miners! We're mercenaries!" ,shouted Yell Soldier. He raised his rocket launcher. Green and Yell teams had raised their weapons. Ready to attack. "Outside! Outside! We've got to get outside!" ,said Sniper.

"Don't worry everybody! I've got this!" SAXTON HALE punched a hole in the wall. "Follow me!" They ran out of the building. The rocket hit the floor. Sending Miss Pauling flying into Medic's arms. They looked at each other before Medic let her go. "Ew! I'm not straight!" "What?" ,said everybody at the same time. "I mean, oh my god! Are you alright, Miss Pauling?" He helped her up. "I'm fine." She dusted herself off. Green and Yell jumped out. "Shit! Where's a gun when you need one?" "Right on time!" ,said SAXTON HALE. A box fell on top of Scout. He flinched. The box fell into his hands. "Submachine guns!" "For the love of God Sniper, put this on!" ,said Spy who gave him his coat. Sniper tied it around his waist. "Thanks mate." More boxes landed near them. The pilot jumped out of the burning plane with a terrified scream and a working parachute. Maggie caught the pilot. She placed him on his feet. "Go hang out at the sidelines. You can watch us fight." "S-Sure." The pilot ran off.

Heavy picked up his minigun, Sasha. Miss Pauling had a handgun. Spy held a pistol. Demoman went for a grenade launcher. Scout took a sawed off. Pyro readied his flamethrower. Medic had his medigun aimed at Heavy. SAXTON HALE and Maggie were ready to fight with their fists. "Just like old times doctor!" "Looks like we'll never leave this job occupation." ,said Medic. "Let's stop talking and shoot!" ,said Miss Pauling. "I like the way you think ma'am!" ,said Fred who placed a sentry on the ground. Engineer ran over to him. Helping him build it into a higher level of weaponry. Sniper fired his submachine gun at the opposing teams. Once he shot down Green Sniper, it was an all out war.

SAXTON HALE picked up Green Scout and Yell Demoman. He smashed their heads together. Throwing them aside. He kneed Yell Sniper's neck. Yell Sniper clutched his throat. He gasped for air. Demoman fired some sticky grenades. Yell Sniper exploded. "Thanks pal!" SAXTON HALE gave him a soldier salute. Maggie kicked Green Soldier in the dick. He squealed as he clutched his crotch. Dropping his rocket launcher, he fell over.

Miss Pauling shot Yell Soldier in the face. SAXTON HALE reached for Green Soldier. "Stop!" Demoman threw himself in between them. "Don't kill him! He's the only Soldier left!" "He's not your Soldier." "Please! Just spare his life!" "Look Demoman." Green Soldier stood. "I don't know when you lost your soldier but you have to let him go. This is war. And in war, there is no mercy. So fight me!" "Bring it on laddie!"

Pyro, Yell Pyro, and Green Pyro were all spraying flames at each other. They started dancing together in what they thought were bubbles. In a magical land that was far far away from everyone else, they saw rainbows, ponies, candy, and babies that resembled their friends. Those babies were crying. And they wanted to cheer them up.

Yell Spy screamed when he got caught on fire. He started running around until he collapsed. Everybody focused their attention to the Pyros. "Hell is raining down!" ,shouted Medic. "Whatever he said! Run!" ,yelled Sniper. Many were in a panic. Heading towards all kinds of directions. Medic's medigun slipped out of his hand. He tripped over it. "Doctor!" Heavy threw himself over him. Using his body as a shield from the flames. "Heavy! What are you doing? You're getting burned!" "I make sacrifices for Doctor. It's fine." "No, it's not! Where's my gun?" Spy fired his pistol. Taking down Yell and Green Pyro. Yellow Team and Green Team were dead. "Pyro! Stop!" ,shouted Medic. Pyro did. He cocked his head to one side. Curious about who this man was.

"You've killed them already. You won. We won." Medic pulled out his medi crossbow. "I'm going to show you what's really going on." The arrow hit his arm. Pyro's vision soon became clear. His magical land was gone. Pyro spoke with a happy tone. He hugged him. Medic sighed with relief. "Thank you, Pyro. Now let me heal Heavy." Engineer and Fred quickly fixed the medigun. Pyro let him go. Medic took his medigun. He walked over to Heavy who clutched the left side of his body which was burned. He flipped the switch. Slowly but surely, Heavy's skin began to rebuild itself by the healing properties of the gun. He looked as if he had never gotten injured to begin with. "Medic. Thank you." Tears fell from Medic's eyes. He dropped his medigun. "Why? Why do you keep doing this to yourself? How do you expect us to stick together when you're dead?!" Heavy stood. He walked over. Medic glared. "Because if you're going to die like a dummkopf then you might as well kill me too!" Heavy pulled him into a strong heart filled embrace.

"I don't want to upset you. I want you to be happy. I promise to not be stupid. For you Doctor." Medic leaned against his chest. He locked his arms over his neck. "You should promise yourself too."

The rest of their team members looked at them with a realization. Those two had something much more between them.


	10. Their Guilt

"I still have all of the money that The Administrator kept. I can keep paying you guys to do other missions instead of trying to kill each other." ,said Miss Pauling. "And I can be your boss!" ,said SAXTON HALE. "That doesn't sound so bad." ,said Demoman. "Let's head to his office then." ,said Spy.

Scout clutched his head. "Scout? Is everything alright?" ,said Sniper. "Y-Yeah....It's just-" A high pitch beep pierced through his ear. He flinched. "Make...it....stop!" He fell to his knees. "Scout!" The others ran to them. He cried out before fainting. Sniper knelt near him. "What's going on? What's wrong with him now?" Medic took off his gloves. He examined his body then placed his hand on his forehead. "I can only assume that he has a fever. He's sweating already. His breathing patterns are irregular. A sudden illness normally happens after severe amounts of stress or trauma." "I have an infirmary in my building. You can take him there." ,said SAXTON HALE. "Who can carry him the longest?" ,asked Spy. "I'll do it." ,said Heavy. "Go ahead." Heavy picked Scout off the ground. They started their walk towards a road. Sniper couldn't take his eyes off of Scout. He was worried. Wondering why Scout never said anything about how he felt? Was he afraid to tell him? Did he think he had to look tough in front of the team?

He wished he had the answers but he would have to wait. He glanced away. "Miss Pauling?" "Hm?" "Did Scout ever talked to you about any of his own issues?" She frowned. "I'm afraid we never had the time to really talk at all. We've only hung out once a year. I mean sometimes we worked on jobs together but we never talked about our personal lives. Sorry." "That's alright. We were focused on work. Talking about our problems was never part of the job." She sighed. "I know but we dated. I should have notice something was wrong." "We could have notice. We're always working with each other." ,said Demoman.

Scout reached out to the reflective puddle. He floated in the air. Complete silence filled the dark void he was in. Scout's reflection held a wide smile. He laughed. Scout screamed as fell into the abyss. Hitting a wooden floor. He found himself in the Red base. He watched as The Hat Man brutally murder some of his teammates and that of Blu's. "Leave them alone! Come at me!" Scout ran to the shadow. It zoomed through him. A butterfly knife appeared in his hand. His father was hugging him. His shaky hand tried to fight off The Hat Man's control but the knife stabbed into his back. A flash of white took him to a motel room. Sniper was on his knees. He looked frightened and confused. "Please Scout! Don't do this! This isn't you!" With no mercy, Scout shot him in the head.

He gasped awake. "Sniper!" "Ah! Good! You're awake." "Medic, where's Sniper?" The heart monitor was beeping fast. "Calm down. Sniper is alright. He's-" "I need to see him!" Scout stumbled off the bed. He pulled the needle out of his arm. Taking off the wires as well. The heart monitor went flat. "Scout! You're not well! You need to stay in bed!" "I don't care! Where is he?!" He fell over once his legs gave out. Sniper, fully clothed in his Red outfit, ran to him. "Bloody hell..." He helped him back to the bed. "Scout, what are you doing?" "Sniper..." Scout threw his arms around him. Sobbing against his chest. "I thought you were....I dreamt about it. That I killed you. What do I do? I'm so scared. I don't want to hurt you. Maybe..." He tried to shove him. "No! You have to! You have to stay away from me!" Sniper kept a good grip. "I won't do that. I won't abandon you when you need me. What you had was a nightmare. I know that you would never hurt me. You should know that too. You're nothing like that dead bastard Gray Mann." Scout's muscles relaxed. "He lied to me. He told me we could save our friends but he just wanted his brothers properties. I should have never listened to him. Why did I listen?" He clutched a fistful of his vest. "I'm a freaking idiot!" His tears were running.

Sniper gently rubbed his back. "You're not an idiot. You had some good intentions. Trying to bring your friends back to life doesn't make you an idiot. You're a good man, Scout. Don't ever let anyone doubt that for a moment. Not even yourself." Desperate to forget about the nightmare, he kissed him. Sniper returned the gesture. Medic awkwardly left the room as he heard the two continue on.

"Doctor." Medic jumped. "How is Scout?" "He woke up. Sniper is with him. They're uh....busy." Heavy raised a brow. He very quickly realised what he meant by 'busy'. "I see." He smiled. He pulled Medic in. His hand was around his waist. Resting on his hip. "Then we have time together?" Medic flinched. "Heavy...." He easily stepped out of his grasp. "I'm sorry. I...I'm trying to forget. What he almost did to me." "You mean big man?" He nodded. He leaned against the wall as he hugged himself. "War should be normal for me. But what happened in Blu's tower felt different." "It was different. He is dead though. Big man can't hurt Medic." "You're wrong. I still see him. In my head." Heavy walked up to him. Medic lifted his head up. He was met with rough but gentle lips. He fell into his strong embrace. His eyes closed. Diving deep into a wonderland of his own. Heavy lifted his legs up.

Medic hooked his feet together. Keeping himself from falling. His arms wrapped over his neck. Heavy kept a hand against his back. Bringing him off the wall and closer to him. Medic broke the kiss. He caught his breath. "Oh mein Gott! That was...I've never done that before." Heavy smiled. "Doctor wants more?" He tugged at his belt. Medic gripped his hand. "Heavy..." His friend gently let him go. Medic took his hand in his. Placing it over his chest. "I don't want us to be a quick experience. I want to know you even more than I already do." He turned away. "I'm sorry if that isn't what you want." Heavy cupped his chin. Medic looked into his gaze. "Not what I want. What you want is also important. I will not make Doctor do things if Doctor does not want. Love only matters." He smiled with teary eyes. "Love? I never thought you would say that. You're not lying, are you? You're not trying to just make me feel better so you won't have to deal with my tears?" Heavy kissed him. Medic wrapped his arms around his neck. He rested his head on his shoulder. "I would never lie."

Scout gagged. He covered his mouth. He fell off the bed. "Scout?" He clutched his stomach. He groaned. "Scout, what's wrong?" "It...hurts!" He cried out. "Make it stop! Make it stop!" 

Did you really think I would leave you? You absorbed me. Not my abilities. And I'm going to have fun.

"Don't worry! I'll get some painkillers!" Sniper ran to the shelf which was stacked high with bottles of pills and liquids. He skimmed through the labels. He found Aspirin. A blessing that was out in the open. He grabbed the bottle. By the time he got there, which was only a few seconds, Scout had vomited blood. Scout was on his knees with his hands in a puddle of his own blood. Sniper dropped the bottle. He ran to his side. He brought him close. Keeping an arm around his shoulders with a hand on his waist. Bringing him close. Scout clutched his shirt. "Sn-Sniper...I'm sorry." Tears dripped from his pained eyes. Blood streamed from his lips. "I thought it was gone. I let you down. I let them all down." "Don't say that! You're going to be ok!" Sniper looked at the door. "MEDIC! MEDIC!"


	11. Our Dead Friends

Medic and Heavy ran into the surgery room. Finding Scout in Sniper's arms.

Sniper shouted, "Help him!" "Why is he throwing up blood?" "I don't know! I don't know!" "Get him on the bed!" He did. He looked at his own stained clothes. The blood on his hands...."Sniper!" He looked up at Heavy who said, "It's alright." Scout clutched his head. He cried out. He could hear that same beeping noise he had before. Similar to when he heard bombs exploding for the first time. He flailed around.

"Heavy! Help me get him under control!" ,said Medic. Heavy kept Scout pinned against the bed as Medic strapped his wrists and ankles. Preventing him from escaping. "Get me out of this!" "Scout, this is for your own good." ,said Sniper. "You should have just let me die! Why didnt you let me die?!" He moved the bed as he struggled. He screamed. Frustrated with his friends. With Sniper. With his father. With the whole world. With himself.

Medic administered a drug through his arm by a needle. Sniper clenched his fists. "This isn't right! All you're doing is scaring him!" "Had I not stepped in then he would have hurt you. It's best that he is protected from others and himself. I can study him in order to see what is causing his irrational behaviour and this amount of blood to leave his body." "There you go again! Analyzing him like he's one of your test subjects! He's part of the team!" "I am a doctor. I'm supposed to analyze my patients. Don't forget that if I hadn't revived him, we wouldn't be standing here."

"We wouldn't need to stand here if you had just let me calm him down! You heartless bastard!" Medic glared. "Look Sniper. I care about Scout too. I thought I made that very clear back in Red Base. I kept you both alive there and I've saved you both again. I practically defeated science by bringing both of you back from the dead. So don't criticize me when I've done what you or none of the others could ever do for this team." Sniper grabbed a fistful of his labcoat. He pulled him over. "You and your smug face! You think you get to talk all that smart shit just because you're a doctor?!" "DON'T TOUCH ME!" Medic slapped him hard. Sniper let go. Taken aback by Medic's immediate reflex. Heavy ran to the doctor's side. Bringing him gently in for a hug.

"Go Sniper. We talk about this later." ,said Heavy. Sniper sneered. "Fine. I'll go but I'm leaving. I'm tired of this team. And I'm tired of you two. Always on each other like glue. Never leaving each other's bloody side even when shit's hitting the fan." He stomped out of there. Spy punched him. Sniper clutched his face. "Ah! What the fuck was that for?!" "For being a selfish prick!" Spy slammed him against the wall. "What's happening to Scout is more important than your dignity! He needed you and you weren't there for him!" Sniper shoved him off. "I was! I sat next to him! I comforted him!" "Was that really what you did for him? Or was it just what you expected love to be?" He took his shades off. He pinched the brim of his nose.

"I don't know what I'm supposed to do anymore. Things aren't the same. We've lost so many of our friends. Engineer...Heavy...Spy...Soldier..." He put his hat against his chest. "And you and the other Blu's. All of you lost your friends too." A tear fell from an eye. He dropped his shade and stomped on them. There was an immediate crack! He threw the hat aside. "I'm no sniper. I'm no help to Scout." More tears ran down his cheeks as he fell to his knees. "If anyone has to suffer, it should be me. I'm the one who kept the secret from him. Every time I saw him, I could have told him but I didn't. He use to think his father was dead and now that it's true, he has nowhere else to turn to. I failed him."

He looked up at the blank white ceiling. "The only reason why that bloody monster killed them was because of me! Ya hear that Engineer?! HEAVY! SPY! SOLDIER! It was all me!" "That's enough crying soldier!" "Soldier?!" His eyes widened. "H-How are you-?" "God sent me here to fight that Hatty Man! Where is he?" "Oh my god! Soldier, it's so good to see you!" He ran towards him with wide open arms but he passed through him. He frowned. "I don't want to believe it. That you're dead... That any of you are. It's not right!" "I know son but good soldiers die sometimes. This is what happens in wars. Let's not forget that they fought valiantly like us." "Us?" ,said Spy.

Red Spy, Red Engineer, Red Heavy, Blu Demoman, Blu Sniper, Blu Medic, Blu Soldier, and Blu Pyro appeared. "We came here to kick some ass and make you maggots smile!" He looked at Sniper for a moment. "Why aren't you smiling?"

"I'm fine, Heavy." "Are you sure?" "Yes. Of course I am." Medic held his hand. "I do have a lot to think about. A lot to take care of but I won't let my issues distract me from helping Scout." "Do not ignore your problems either. It will only hurt you." He smiled. "Thank you but right now I'm going to focus on our dear friend." "I see. Then I stand near to make sure Doctor is ok." On his tiptoes, he leaned in for a kiss. A brush of his lips filled him with joy. "I appreciate it."

The ghosts of Red and Blu team's fallen members had appeared. "Good day to you soldiers!" ,said Red Soldier. Heavy and Medic screamed. Hugging each other in fright. Medic was the first to realize something was going on. "Is that you...? Red Soldier? And the others?" "Yes! It is I! And I've brought my men to beat the crap out of this so called Hat Man! He is a coward and a weakling!"

Heavy and Medic parted from the hug. "How will Soldier do that?" ,said Heavy. "By kicking his cowboy hat ass!" "Yeah!" ,said Blu Scout with his bat. The others held their own weapons. Ready to follow Red Soldier's mission.


	12. Relieved From Misery

"So that's your plan? You're all going to enter Scout's body and take down the Hat Man?" ,said Medic. "Pretty much." ,said Blu Demoman. "Then good luck. Do not hesitate to give Hat Man unbearable pain." ,said Heavy. "For you big guy? I'm gonna make sure he wished he was never born. Or however he was made." ,said Blu Scout. The ghosts walked over to Scout. "Don't worry man. This crap will be over before you even know it." "See ya on the other side men!" ,said Red Soldier. "Stay strong!" ,said Blu Soldier.

The Spirit Team walked into Scout's body. Disappearing before their very eyes. Medic bit his lip. He gripped his hand. "Heavy..." The large man looked at him. "For the first time in my life, I can't fix anything." Heavy pulled him in for a hug. "You've done enough for us. Let friends help you." Tears brimmed in Medic's eyes. "H-Heavy..." Those tears burst out. His arms locked around his neck. "I can't thank you enough! I can't thank any of our friends with enough thoughts! They cared so much when I use to care so little!" "But now you care. Now, we're family."

Once in Scout's body, they found themselves confused by the presence of total darkness. Scout sat on an old wooden chair. Sobbing with his back facing them. "Scout? Is that you?" ,said Blu Sniper. "You even sound like him." Scout shook his head. "The Hat Man was right. I failed. I couldn't save any of you. I'll always be weak." "That's not true. You have advantages that we don't get." ,said Blu Medic. "Bullshit! This is the fourth time you guys have told me fucking lies!" He sighed. "I feel like I'm stuck in these walls because..." He lifted his head up. He stood from his seat. Now facing them. "Everybody loves you. They see you as crazy heroes with awesome personalities. But me? I have nothing to impress anyone. I'm apparently annoying, ignorant up my freaking ass, and pointless. Why do I even exist? I was a mistake. I'm no help to anyone."

"Enough of that jabbering!" ,said Red Engineer. He walked over to him. Placing a hand on his shoulder. "You exist because somebody thought you were important. Because someone knew that you would needed. Scout, you have helped us before so many damn times that hell! I can't even count! So don't believe in that bullshit. Your mom could have gotten rid of you but she didn't. And neither did your dad. They knew that you would grow up to be a hero. Now, we may not have thought of that but we gave a shit about you. Just like other people do. You've got great talents. You can run faster than a train, jump higher than anyone on a trampoline, and know when to bash some skulls in. So don't think for one second that you never supported this team in any way. We've gotten plenty of missions done because of you." "And you can't forget about those funny jokes!" ,said Soldier. "Is true." ,said Heavy.

Scout looked at his team members and those that he had fought against. They were all there together as a team. As a family. He smiled. He raised a thumb. "Then let's get this freak while I can still make some more!" His body began to glow. "What the-?!"

"Keep running!" ,shouted Sniper. He fired another bullet at the Hat Man which zipped through it. Medic and Heavy were catching up to him. "What do we do? We can't injury him!" ,said Medic. "We can if we distract him! Someone needs to stall him!" ,said Sniper. "I'll do it! It will not last long but enough time for Sniper to use gun." "Go ahead! I'll switch my medigun to an ubercharge!" "What is that?" "I'm going to make you indestructible for some time!" "Do it Doctor!" Medic quickly flipped the switch on the square machine strapped to his back which sent power to the barrel of the gun where it sent darker red streams to Heavy's body. A Purple Heavy let out a battle cry as he raised his fists. Running at the Hat Man.

A flash of blue zoomed in between them. They stopped. It was Scout who glared at the Hat Man. "Leave my friends alone!" His eyes glowed white. The Spirit Team appeared alongside him. Holding each other's hands as they sent their energy to him. White rays shot out from him. Hitting the Hat Man who cried out. Shadows with a similar shape like it came out of a dark portal. They reached out to it. Grabbing the Hat Man and pulling it into the portal as his screams continued. Their whispers were loud and hypnotizing. Scout clutched his head as he fell to his knees. He grit his teeth. "Make it stop! Just make it stop! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! STOP IT!" He gagged. Sniper ran over. He growled, "Just leave already!" Blu Sniper fired at them. The Shadows screeched as they finally got The Hat Man into the portal.

They were all gone.

Scout collapsed. "Scout!" Sniper dropped his weapon. He knelt by his side. He lifted him off the floor. Bringing him into his arms. "We've done enough here. Men! It's time to head back to Heaven! It was good seeing all of you." Demoman, Pyro, Miss Pauling, Engineer, Spy, SAXTON HALE, and Maggie ran to the commotion. They were surprised to find their dead friends standing there. Red Soldier smiled. "Goodbye everybody. And thanks for being my team. I couldn't have asked for better friends. Stay frosty."

Red Spy looked at Blu Spy. He nodded at Scout. "Would you mind taking care of him for me?" "Of course." ,said Blu Spy. "Thank you. I appreciate that." Blu Spy nodded with a smile. "Anytime, my friend." Miss Pauling, in tears, said, "It was nice to see you guys again. Take care." With salutes, The Spirit Team all floated up into a light back to Heaven.

A wave of dizziness overwhelmed a teary eyed Scout. His outfit began to change. A dark grey undershirt had replaced his red t-shirt. A red motorcycle jacket was over it. Showing a peek of the top of his shirt. Instead of shorts, he had dark brown pants. "S-Sniper? I feel so....sick." "Don't worry, Scout. It's going to be ok. Medic can help you." He held a small smile. He chuckled. "You know, I saw Blu Sniper." "Oh yeah?" "Uh huh...And you know what he told me before I woke up?" "What?" "'Tell that wanker to treat you with some common decency or else I'll come back to haunt his arse.'" Sniper smiled. "That sounds like something I would say." Scout's lids slowly closed. He groaned. "My head..."

And those were his last words before passing out.


	13. Epilogue

A hooded figure stood across from him. The mysterious man resembled his figure and bottom half of his face. With bloody claws, a deadly pale skin, and blood dripping from his mouth as if he had a strange meal. The figure growled. He could barely make out any part of him. But he had a gut feeling that this was himself. That madman ran to him on all fours. He tried to move but couldn't. He reluctantly watched him jump high with his claws reaching out to him.

Scout opened his eyes. "He's waking up!" ,said Medic. Sniper stood from his chair. He walked over to the bed. He smiled. "It's good to see you out and about." Scout looked at them. "What happened?" "You lost consciousness after sending out that massive light at the Hat Bastard. I didn't even know you could do that." "I didn't know either. It just sort of...happened."

He slowly sat up. "Be careful. You were unconscious for eight hours." ,said Medic. "Are you kidding me? Holy shit...!" "But everything's alright now. You did it, Scout. You took down the Hat Man. He's never going to come back." "Yeah. Hopefully you're right, Sniper." SAXTON walked into the infirmary room. "How's the little guy?" "He's in a perfect condition." ,said Medic. "That's fantastic news! Now, we can celebrate our victory by a party! Sniper, my Australian friend, fetch us the beer." "Sure but we're not friends." "Geez. Don't need to put a thorn on my side." Sniper rolled his eyes. Scout chuckled. "C'mon. Give him a break. He did save our lives and let us work with him." "Yeah, I guess you have a point there." Scout stumbled off of the bed. Sniper caught him.

Scout smiled. "Sometimes I'm always right." Sniper smirked. He was pulled in by his brave partner. Planting a long sensual kiss upon his rough lips. The prickly five o'clock shadow had tickled him. Making him chuckle. Sniper replied with a low moan followed by another kiss which let him explore his mouth.

Heavy cleared his throat. Both men broke the kiss. "Yeah, I got it. Getting the beer now." Sniper headed for the doors. "Hey Scout." "What is it?" "Are you...ok?" Scout placed a hand over his chest. "It still hurts but knowing that I'm not alone with the pain makes me feel much better." He smiled. Sniper returned the expression. "I'm glad."

Heading for one of the storage room that was obviously labeled alcohol on the walls, Sniper felt like someone was watching him. He glanced every once in a while. Making sure that he was alone. He finally made it to the alcohol room but he was still tense. He took a deep breath. "You're imagining things. That's all." He bent down to pick up a crate of beer. A green light caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. He turned. His eyes widened.

A scream echoed in the halls. "Sniper!" Scout and everybody else ran out of the building. Sniper was unconscious. Surrounded by a green aura that kept him afloat with- "Merasmus!" Mersamus laughed. "Yes! It is I! Merasmus!" "What do you want with him?!" "Not him but you. I made a mistake when I was trying to capture you. But now I have a better idea. Find me and I'll let him live so long as you surrender yourself to me." "Wait a minute. Why do you want Scout?" ,said Miss Pauling. "I witness what his power truly is and I won't let any of it go to waste!" "Then why don't you take me already?" "I'm not stupid. I know what will happen if I let Sniper go. You'll use your powers on me. So here's the deal. You meet with me to surrender and I'll give him back to your team." "And you won't torture him? Kill him? How do I know you're even telling me the truth?" "When you find me, it is because I want you to find me."

Merasmus, along with Sniper, had disappeared. Scout clenched his fists. He grit his teeth. "I'm going to kill that fucking wizard if it's the last thing I do!"


End file.
